NYASSA, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE of. - In the central part of Nyasaland (British East Africa), entrusted to the Society of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), who began the evangelization of the territory in 1889 at Mponda, at the southern end of Lake Nyassa.
On 31 July of that year the pro-vicariate was established, raised on 12 February 1897 to an apostolic vicariate. In 1898 King Mobamba, as he was dying, asked the apostolic vicar, Mons. Dupont, to succeed him in the kingdom. Mons. Dupont accepted temporarily in order to prevent the traditional hecatomb that followed the king’s death. In 1903 it was divided to form the apostolic prefecture of Shirk; on 28 January 1913 to form the apostolic vicariate of Bamgueolo; on 8 May 1947 to form the apostolic prefecture of Northern N. Missionary activity is hindered by the excessively sudden irruption of modern civilization, by Protestant propaganda, and by Communist propaganda.
The vicariate has an area of 32,500 sq. km., with approximately 650,000 inhabitants, of whom 65,000 are indigenous Catholics, 46 foreigners, 6,891 catechumens, 60,000 Protestants, approximately 40,000 Muslims, and more than 40,000 pagans. Indigenous priests 10, foreign priests 36, foreign brothers 9, indigenous sisters 18, foreign sisters 31, catechists 679, teachers 209. One regional seminary (St. Anthony’s at Kachebers) and one minor seminary. Principal stations 12, secondary stations 80, churches 62, chapels 550; dispensaries 13, hospitals 5, leprosarium 1, orphanages 4, printing presses 1, with 1 periodical (Katolike) of 2,000 copies monthly. Elementary schools 140, secondary schools 2, vocational schools 2, teacher-training schools 2.